Researchers find six more diabetes genes: study

clipped from www.reuters.com U.S. and European scientists have found six more genes that make people more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes, in a study they say may help prevent and treat the chronic condition The finding extends the total number of genes linked to the disease to 16 and provides clues to how the biological mechanisms that control blood sugar levels go awry when people get type 2 diabetes, the researchers said The team turned up six genetic differences that each individually slightly raise a person's risk of diabetes But the risk for the few people unlucky enough to inherit all six variations is two to three times higher than the average risk One of the surprising finds was the link between type 2 diabetes and a gene called JAZF1, which researchers recently showed plays a role in prostate cancer The researchers believe the genes -- which also include the CDC123-CAMK1D, TSPAN8-LGR5, THADA, ADAMTS9 and NOTCH2 genes -- are involved in regulating the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas